Feiz ha Breiz (Faith and Brittany) is the principal weekly journal in the

Breton language Breton (, ; or in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language family spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albeit as a member of t ...

. It originally appeared from 1865 to 1884, then was revived from 1899 to 1944, and then again from 1945 onwards.

Original journal

Léopold de Léseleuc Leopold may refer to: People * Leopold (given name) * Leopold (surname) Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Leopold (''The Simpsons''), Superintendent Chalmers' assistant on ''The Simpsons'' * Leopold Bloom, the protagonist o ...

bishop of Autun The Roman Catholic Diocese of Autun (–Chalon-sur-Saône–Mâcon–Cluny) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Augustodunensis (–Cabillonensis–Matisconensis–Cluniacensis)''; French: ''Diocèse d'Autun (–Chalon-sur-Saône–Mâcon–Cluny)''), more simpl ...

, was the founder of the first ''Feiz ha Breiz''. In 1865 he persuaded the then Bishop of Quimper and Leon, Monseigneur Sergeant, of the value of a newspaper written in the Breton language for the inhabitants of the diocese. He also encouraged Sergeant to entrust the journal to Goulven Morvan, priest of Tréhou, who spoke excellent Breton and had wide experience in a number of local parishes. Morvan edited ''Feiz ha Breiz'' from 1865 to 1875. The first issue of ''Feiz ha Breiz'' appeared on February 4, 1865. The review ceased publication on April 26, 1884, its last editor (1883 to 1884) being

Gabriel Milin Gabriel-Jean-Maie Milin or Gab Milin (3 September 1822, Saint-Pol-de-Léon, Finistère – 27 December 1895, Île de Batz, Finistère) was a poet, folklorist and philologist writing in the Breton language, sometimes under his bardic name, Laouena ...

, a lay Breton language author, who had taken over from abbé Nédélec. Gabriel Milin had started to write in Breton after having become acquainted with Colonel Troude, the compiler of a Breton language dictionary.

Revived journal

Thanks to the activity of the Feiz ha Breiz Association, which was set up in the Diocese of Quimper and Leon to protect the Breton language, the review was revived in 1899. Number 1 of the new ''Feiz ha Breiz'' was dated January 1900. Within a short time it was absorbed into the Breton Catholic organisation

Bleun-Brug Bleun-Brug (Flower of the heather) is a Catholic association oriented towards Breton nationalism. Origins The group was created in 1905 by abbé Jean-Marie Perrot, with a name devised at the 1905 conference of the Union Régionaliste Bretonne at ...

, set up by abbé

Jean-Marie Perrot The abbé Jean-Marie Perrot, in Breton Yann Vari Perrot (3 September 1877 in Plouarzel, Finistère – 12 December 1943 in Scrignac), was a Breton priest, Breton independentist assassinated by the Communist resistance. He was the founder of t ...

. Participating in the editorial process from 1902, Perrot became the editor, initially only semi-officially, in 1907, then officially from 1911 until his death in December 1943. ''Feiz ha Breiz'' encompassed two other titles, publishing as ''Feiz ha Breiz, Arvorig ha Kroaz-ar-Vretoned'' from February 1921 until December 1926. A French language edition existed for

Upper Brittany Upper Brittany (french: Haute-Bretagne; br, Breizh-Uhel; Gallo: ''Haùtt-Bertaèyn'') is the eastern part of Brittany, France, which is predominantly of a Romance culture and is associated with the Gallo language. The name is in counterpoint to L ...

. Its title was ''Foi et Bretagne, organe du Bleun-Brug de Haute-Bretagne''. During the war the journal became associated with the collaborationism of the Breton National movement. After Perrot was assassinated by the Resistance, the journal continued for a short while, but its last number appeared in March 1944, edited by abbé L. Bleunven, Rector of Ploudalmezeau.

Post-war journal

''Feiz ha Breiz'' was recreated after the war in 1945 appearing under the new title of ''Kroaz Breiz'' which changed soon into ''Bleun-Brug''. In 1956 ''Bleun-Brug'' split into two factions: one more

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

and regionalist-minded and one more

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

and nationalist-minded. As a result two separate journals emerged: *Nationalist: ''Barr-Heol war Feiz ha Breizh'' (in Breton, run by Father Marsel Klerg) *Regionalist: ''Bleun-Brug'' (this persists as a bilingual scholarly journal, directed by canon François Mevellec).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feiz ha Breiz Breton language Mass media in Brittany Breton-language newspapers Breton nationalism